


wake up my heart and walk into my world

by bananaseok



Series: for jihan [6]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The Proposal AU, YoonHong, eventual smut hehe, hehe, kinda lol, shua is jeonghan's boss but, side wonhui
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-07 20:08:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17372474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananaseok/pseuds/bananaseok
Summary: jeonghan has been running away from his visa status but he can never hide from it; nor from his boss, joshua.or jihan the proposal au that i've been dying to write





	1. wherein he just wants to save his boss

**Author's Note:**

> this is different from the jihan fluff i used to write. i really wanted to explore and kind of get back on track with writing.
> 
> so without further ado, here's the chapter one (that i'm not really proud of but okay)

> " _I'm_ _just_ _saying_ _that_ _it's_ _been_ _six years_ _since_ _you_ _last_ _dated_ _someone_."

 

Jeonghan hears from the outside of the office. He hears Joshua, his boss, sigh. _Here_ _we_ _go_ _again_.

 

" _And_ _I_ _know_ _that_ _you're_ _hiding_ _someone_ _down_ _your_ _basement_. _Come_ _on_ , _why_ _don't_ _you_ _want_ _us_ _to_ _meet_ _her?_ _Or_ _him_ — _whatever_."

 

It's always like this since 2016 (or maybe even before that, jeonghan doesn't know); ever since Joshua's youngest first cousin got married first. Said mom has been nosey about his boss' love life ever since then.

 

Every time his mom would call, Joshua  _always_ has to listen to his mom whine about how he hasn't brought anyone home ever since after he dumped Yuju (tall, skinny, american-korean, whiny woman). And today, today is just another episode of his mom going off about it.

 

"Does it really matter if I'm single or married or a part of a cult?" Joshua answers back as calm as he possibly could. Jeonghan knows that Joshua never plans on answering back to his mom in a bad way. He loves her too much to do that.

 

" _Yes_ , _it_ _does_ , _sweetie_." His mom answers.

 

There's silence; and Jeonghan knows that silence. Joshua gets silent whenever he doesn't know what to say anymore or when he's getting upset. So suddenly, (and joshua thanks god and buddha), Jeonghan swings the office door  open. He enters the room with a huge grin on his face and a cup of coffee in his hand.

 

 

 

 

By the frown in Joshua's face, Jeonghan seems to notice that something's _really_ going on and it's really nothing new (he's been joshua's assistant for two years now). He notices Joshua's signal—that sign you make with your hand when you ask someone to call you, or that Y in the ASL, or the aloha sign in Hawaii—and he gets the signal.

 

"Professor Hong, we're about to start the meeting in five minutes." Jeonghan says with a voice loud enough for his boss' mom to hear from the other end.

 

"You hear that, mom? I'm about to go on a very important meeting. Bye. Love you. I'll see you in the fall." His boss says as fast as he can, the usual talking speed he picks up when he wants to escape his mom.

 

"Nice save." His boss sighs and plops down the office chair.

 

Jeonghan proceeds to give the cup of coffee to him. "Same old?"

 

"Same old."

 

Jeonghan just chuckles. He reckons it's been over three years since his boss' mom began to constantly bug her son about his dating life. Jeonghan has witnessed maybe more than three fourths of those moments that's why they made a signal on when they needed a save.

 

"What brings you here?" Joshua asks.

 

Jeonghan chuckles again. _He_ _could_ _be_ _very_ _forgetful_. "Your daily morning fix: coffee."

 

He hears his boss mutter something like a ' _right_.' under his breath then after, he starts to head towards the door to exit but his boss calls him even before he has one foot out.

 

"Don't I have any appointments today?"

 

Jeonghan turns back and shakes his head with a little smile on his face. "Just a phone call with your mom if she decides to shit on you again."

 

And that sends his boss to laugh lightly and Jeonghan admires it for a while before stepping foot and—

 

"Stop trying to ignore the fact that your visa's about to expire."

 

The mood suddenly drops, and Jeonghan steps inside once again, fully closing the door then sticking his back to the glass wall of the office.

 

Jeonghan scans his boss' face for a while; there is not a hint of humor in his face. "How did you know?" He asks—stupidly.

 

"I'm your boss."

 

Jeonghan huffs. "As a matter of fact." He mutters, the sarcasm very evident though his voice is little.

 

"Do you honestly think I won't know when I'm your boss?" His boss tries to smile and Jeonghan thinks that it's because he's trying to lighten up the mood although it's already dropped six feet under.

 

This is really a subject Jeonghan tries to avoid because he knows that in a year, he's already going back to his old, musty town in Korea where he'll work again as a waiter—completely opposite of being a secretary of a man his age that makes everything easier for him.

 

"I'm packing my things, if that's what you want to know." Jeonghan plasters a smile on his face that's too face for his own good.

 

"I—" His boss chokes on his coffee. "—are you for real?!"

 

Jeonghan fakes a chuckle. _I_ _wish_ _I_ _was_. "Uh, Minghao rejected my proposal, Soonyoung back there would definitely _not_ marry me, and Krystal wouldn't marry me saying I have the _hots_ for my boss."

 

"Do you not have the hots for me?"

 

Jeonghan frowns and he thinks he might huff smoke from his nose. "I do _not_ , Joshua."

 

Joshua—his boss—laughs to that and Jeonghan is thankful that the air suddenly lightens.

 

"What are you doing on the last week of September?"

 

Jeonghan could swear he's about to smash his head on the glass wall. _What's_ _with_ _the_ _sudden_ _change_ _of_ _subjects?!_

 

"I don't know." He shrugs. "I don't hold a crystal ball, Joshua. I do, however, hold your schedule." Jeonghan grabs a tablet from God-knows-where and he taps and slides until he finds the month of September in the calendar. "And it says you aren't doing anything so I'm not doing anything as well." He says with a proud grin.

 

His boss rests his elbow on his desk and then rests his head on his hands. "You're going with me to Korea."

 

_Korea_.

 

"Okay." He shrugs as if it was the plainest and easiest thing to do.

 

"And you're going to pretend that you're my boyfriend."

 

And just like that, Jeonghan forgets and crosses the line that separates their boss-assistant relationship. "Joshua, what the _fuck_."

 

"And I will _help_ you with your green card."

 

Jeonghan's face distorts out of utter confusion and disorientation about the things that's happening. It's all just happening at once and his little pea brain could not comprehend anything.

 

"That will take years—"

 

"A _year_ if you're marrying a US citizen A.K.A. me."

 

"Why are you proposing this again?"

 

" _I'm_ helping a friend. _You're_ helping a friend. My mom will leave me alone and you'll be a citizen and freely work here." Joshua then rests his back on the backrest of his officer chair with a smirk on his face. "We'll get a divorce right after you get your green card, we'll be back to being friends."

 

Jeonghan doesn't say a word. He can't even think of anything to say as he is mentally panicking.

 

He's known Joshua for over four years—ever since Joshua was just the Academic Head of this little state college until he's now the Dean.. He's watched him make decisions here and there for the welfare of the institution and he could swear Joshua has never been this impulsive so this is all new to him.

 

Jeonghan has known Joshua to be meticulous in everything so he can't help but think what the fuck did this human being eat? Is he high? Is he drunk? Jeonghan's pretty sure there's no liquor in that coffee he gave.

 

"You can think about it—the part where you'll marry me, not the part where you'll go with me in Korea. That's mandatory."

 

And somehow, although there's nothing comforting with those words, he heaves a sigh of relief. He gives his boss a vigorous nod.

 

"Book a flight, okay?" Joshua says with a soft voice, kind of like a make up voice for all the chaos he's done to Jeonghan's head in just a span of four minutes and forty five seconds.

 

"Business class." Jeonghan replies with an enthusiastic nod. "When will this be again?"

 

"Fourth week of September."

 

"Right. Two weeks from now." He makes a peace sign with his hand before trailing off towards his cubicle.


	2. wherein appropriate kissing is implemented

 

 

 

As soon as Jeonghan reaches his apartment, he immediately spots Mingyu, his roommate, in the kitchen staring at his dog who's sitting on the kitchen counter. He's probably giving the dog a pep talk about potty training, nothing new to that.

 

He is immediately noticed by said roommate the moment the door closes.

 

"You're here." Mingyu says while putting Hachi down.

 

"I'm here." Jeonghan huffs, plopping down the three year old couch he bought along with Mingyu when he's new to town. Mingyu's two years younger than he is. They met at a diner where Mingyu used to work prior to him landing a spot on a modelling agency. They became roommates because Jeonghan's desperate to find someone to split the rent with and Mingyu was basically almost homeless.

 

"You seem exhausted." Mingyu comments as he walks towards the couch then sitting down with Hachi on his lap.

 

"Hachi's more exhausted." Jeonghan boops the dog's nose, earning its affection. The dog walks towards Jeonghan and lays down on his lap instead (cue mingyu pouting).

 

The two sit in silence with the TV on. The Simpsons are on but the episodes were still probably from 2003 since the colors still look less vibrant. As soon as Jeonghan gets tired of the show, he puts the dog down and he turns to his roommate.

 

"How long did it take you to get your green card?" Jeonghan asks out of the blue.

 

Mingyu scoffs then lowers the volume of the TV. "Almost two years and a half. All because Jungkook's a green card holder and not a US citizen."

 

Jeonghan nods then looks back at the television.

 

"Why? Did Krystal agree on marrying you?"

 

"No, but Joshua asked me to marry him—for the green card." _Very_ _blunt_ , _Jeonghan_.

 

"Joshua as in like, your _boss_ - _friend?_ "

 

Jeonghan nods.

 

"Well, that should be easy, right? You both know each other and he's a US citizen. It will be easy to smooth things out."

 

And with that, Jeonghan lets out a loud laugh that made Mingyu worry. The poor roommate's thinking whether Jeonghan's fine or out of his mind, but he guesses that he's just exhausted.

 

Finally, Jeonghan stops laughing, putting an end to Mingyu's misery. "Was it that easy between you and Jungkook?"

 

Mingyu shakes his head. "We had to know each other a lot first before getting married. We just met at an online site, so.."

 

"You paid him for that, right?"

 

The younger nods. "Is he asking for something in return?"

 

"I—He only told me to be his fake boyfriend until his cousin gets married and we fly back here. We're flying to Korea in two weeks. I'll show up there as his.. _Boyfriend_ ".

 

"What about like.. The fees?"

 

Jeonghan pauses. "We haven't really talked about that."

 

"Oh.." That's all Mingyu could say while he puts on a smirk on his face.

 

"Stop looking so smug. I still haven't agreed to it."

 

Mingyu stands up, picking up Hachi. "Alright. Think about it. If you don't want to do it, you can easily turn it down."

 

"But then I'll get deported."

 

"Then you get deported." Mingyu's voice fades as he himself fades. Jeonghan's left there to think about it.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

The past couple of days for Jeonghan includes him doing his daily routine but a little bit more preoccupied than he has ever been before all because he's thinking about marrying his friend— _his_ _boss_. He isn't even bothered about the fact that he's going to be a fake boyfriend, he's just really bothered about the process. He shouldn't even be bothered anymore as he thought about this before—not that he had _actually_ thought about marrying Joshua. He's referring to Krystal and Minghao whom he litrerally asked to marry him.

 

Jeonghan, you're really dumb.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

Three days prior to their flight to Korea, Jeonghan went to Joshua's office.

 

Well, it's all for the reasons that Joshua personally called him.

 

Jeonghan sits on his favorite chair inside Joshua's office, right in front of his boss. "So, what's up? Do you need my answer?"

 

"No." Joshua scoffs. "We need a story line."

 

"Right!" Jeonghan's eyes lights up. Jeonghan may be a little reserved most of the time but he's a sucker for stuff like this. He loves sappy stories especially the ones from books and netflix movies. He doesn't know why but he gets by happily with them.

 

Joshua smiles at the enthusiasm. "You seem excited. Do you have any ideas about how we met?"

 

"I actually _do_ _not_." Despite the negative answer, Jeonghan's smile doesn't even falter at all. "We can stick to reality, if that's good enough for you. And then we can just add a couple of stuff."

 

Joshua squints his eyes.

 

"You know.. So we could get that _natural_ _feel_." Jeonghan wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

 

Joshua bites his lip then looks at anywhere but Jeonghan—his usual thinking face—then he looks back at Jeonghan with a smile. "Okay."

 

"You know even if you're smiling I can feel your tension." Jeonghan says, slouching then crossing his arms against his chest.

 

"You can't blame me. I just want them to leave me alone." Joshua rests his back on the backrest then proceeds to playfully spin himself while sitting on the office chair.

 

"We'll do well!" Jeonghan says with much enthusiasm to encourage his boss. It's the least he could do at the moment. "Just be natural. You're good at faking it with the faculty members here."

 

Joshua laughs lightly with a shrug.

 

Jeonghan stands up. "I need to check some papers."

 

"Alright, cool." Joshua nods. "Can you stay at my place tomorrow, though? Until the flight."

 

And Jeonghan's heart just decides to beat at a very unusual fast pace. He manages to try to keep it cool. "I'll ask Mingyu." Jeonghan says with a smirk.

 

"Oh, he's your boyfriend now? Is that why you don't want to marry me?" Joshua, of course, smirks back. It's not a day when they don't fight with their smug faces.

 

"I'm—What? No. I was kidding. Of course I'll crash to your place. I'll even take the keys and lock you out." Jeonghan rolls his eyes as soon as he heads to the door—as soon as his back's turned from his boss.

 

"Okay. Don't forget the summary of complaints for Sir Park."

 

"Alright!" Jeonghan chirps, exiting without even looking back at his boss.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

Today, the two are finally on board in the plane. Joshua gets the window seat not because he loves it but because Jeonghan easily gets sick ("if you don't change seats with me, i will _die_." jeonghan blackmails).

 

Jeonghan is sitting comfortably in the very luxurious and very comfortable Lazy Z chair at the business class plane. Actually, he is lying down rather than sitting down (because honestly why would you sit down on a business class chair come on) with his feet resting at the ottoman. He has his favorite little pillow underneath his head while listening to his favorite song with his air pods on.

 

See, Jeonghan always makes sure to make use of the business class seats at maximum because it's not everyday he gets to travel hours with this comfort. So props to Mr. Joshua Hong for hiring him as his fake boyfriend.

 

It's shitty. Jeonghan thinks it's pure bullshit that Joshua chose the flight with two layovers. What a fifteen hour flight turned out to be a forty hour flight. Who even wants to spend more than a day and a half travelling?

 

 Joshua, of course.

 

Sometimes, Jeonghan thinks it's tiring to be a secretary of a high maintenance person. Considering they're friends, Jeonghan really deems Joshua to be hard to please especially when it comes to stuff like these. He can't explain what these are but exhibit a.) Joshua always wants his flights to be business class even when they're just flying to Boston or to Hawaii; exhibit b.) he always, _always_ wants everything to be flowing smoothly especially when it concerns the state university he's running; and exhibit c.) he is picky with the people he surrounds himself with, like he always makes sure to surround him with people that understand him, that jives with him.

 

On that note, Jeonghan pats himself on the back because he's been around Joshua for too long so that must mean he's one of the people Joshua likes.

 

As a person in general, nothing more.

 

"You fancy sweaters, right?" Of course, Jeonghan's train of thoughts were stopped because he hears Joshua (his airpods aren't loud enough sigh).

 

Jeonghan squints his eyes before answering. "Yeah, why?"

 

Joshua shrugs. "I don't know. They'll probably ask me what you like."

 

"Cute." Jeonghan mutters under his breath as he scoffs. "I like salty food. And steak and sushi."

 

"I know." Joshua nods but there is a hint of nonchalance in his voice and expression. "And you also like pancakes but with no syrup but you love them with either whipped cream or peanut butter."

 

There's a beaming smile on Joshua's face as to what Jeonghan could see. It's a smile that shows how proud Joshua is of himself for knowing those facts.

 

Jeonghan smiles back in delight but hides the fact that he's a little puzzled of how observant the man beside him could be when it comes to him.

 

"I assume you already know everything about me." Joshua says.

 

"Yeah." Jeonghan grins. "Even your netflix password."

 

" _Even_ my netflix password." Joshua nods with conviction, a smile hinting on his face.

 

The rest of the plane ride, since it's only morning, they talked about what they should do to look like actual couples. Jeonghan had to ask Joshua five times if he's really down to doing coupley stuff ("yes i dragged you into this. what's your problem?" joshua says as he continues to rub his temples due to intense stress because of the redundant questions.).

 

Their minds aren't really far from each other. They kind of share the same single braincell when it comes to tactics (one time they picked each other's names for the christmas kringle and they both bought themselves toothbrush). With that being said, both of then came to terms that they'll do coupley stuff: hold hands and endearments.

 

Jeonghan finds it funny that nobody opened about kissing. He was about to, but Joshua seemed to avoid the discussion.

 

_Okay_ , _then_.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

" _Ladies_ _and_ _Gentlemen_ , _welcome_ _to_ _Incheon_ _Airport_. _Local_ _time_ _is_ 7 _in_ _the_ _evening_ , _and_ _the_ _temperature_ _is_ _9_ ° _C_."

 

And finally, after a miserable forty hour flight and non stop praying that the flight attendant doesn't disturb their sleep anymore, they have finally landed in South Korea. Jeonghan could only think of how much his ass fucking hurts (maybe the lazy z isn't very comfortable after forty hours), and what time is it in Los Angeles.

 

He counts in his head. South Korea is 17 hours ahead.. _One_.. _Two_.. _Three_..

 

_Holy_ _shit_ , it's just 2 AM in LA. No wonder Joshua looks like he's about to pass out anytime.

 

"Are you okay?" Jeonghan asks the sleepy one.

 

Joshua still has his Connie neck pillow around him, his eyes almost shut, as he rests his head on the said pillow. He nods nonchalantly, very obvious that he's half asleep.

 

Jeonghan is now having second thoughts. Should he help Joshua fall asleep on his shoulders while they wait for their service or should he just let his boss be? He's pretty sure they didn't talk about when they'll start being boyfriends—will they start as soon as they land in South Korea or as soon as they enter Joshua's parents' premises?

 

_Fuck_ _it_.

 

"C'mere." Jeonghan says as he gently snakes his arms around Joshua's waist to pull him closer. Joshua gets the signal though he's half asleep; he nuzzles his head on the crook Jeonghan's neck.

 

Their car arrives after a couple of minutes, though. Joshua finally wakes up at the voice of his cousin, Wonwoo. Jeonghan remembers that name—that cousin is the one he's closest with although three years older than he is; runs a restaurant and is successful; owns a mansion near the beach at Busan; and last but not the least, happily married to a man.

 

"Won, this is Jeonghan, my boyfriend." Joshua says so confidently and Jeonghan has to pause a while to take in that he is actually being introduced to an actual family member.

 

Jeonghan smiles wide when he sees Wonwoo's huge grin. _Okay_ , _this_ _is_ _going_ _better_ _than_ _expected_.

 

"Ah! Really?" Wonwoo shakes Jeonghan's hand firmly. Jeonghan believes that the smile from him us genuine. "Never thought he'd actually bring someone home."

 

"Never thought he'd bring _me_ home." Jeonghan winks playfully at Joshua who just returns a sheepish smile.

 

The next thing that happens is that they're in the backseat of Wonwoo's car on the way to Gyeonggi, Joshua's family's hometown.

 

Joshua's fast asleep in the car; his head resting anywhere but Jeonghan's shoulder. You see, it's not that Jeonghan thinks that Joshua should spend his every sleeping moment on his shoulders; it's just that they have to be coupley because Wonwoo is literally just two feet away from them.

 

"Jeonghan, right?" Wonwoo begins.

 

"Y-Yeah." Jeonghan answers with a stutter.

 

"How old are you?" There it goes—the questions. He should be prepared enough.

 

"I was born in the 95 as well. October 4th." Jeonghan answers coolly and he sees Wonwoo smiling from the rearview mirror.

 

"Cool. So, where's your hometown? I assumed you're from here because you're pretty fluent in Korean."

 

"I was born in Gangbuk, somewhere in Seoul. Then I flew to the US about almost six years ago for work."

 

"Ah, what do you do?"

 

_I_ _fix_ _your_ _cousin's_ _schedules_ , _check_ _some_ _papers_ , _compile_ _student_ _complaints_ , _and_ _oh_ —"I'm Shua's assistant and I also teach Thermodynamics part time." That's true, though.

 

"In Jisoo's school?"

 

_Jisoo_.. "Yeah. We met there. How about you, how did you and your husband meet?"

 

"Ah," Wonwoo let's out a sigh, almost kind of like remembering every wonderful moment. "Jun and I met in uni when I was tutoring him Korean."

 

And Jeonghan thanks God and Buddha that he successfully averts the subject before he could mess things up.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

  

Turns out, the province of Gyeonggi  is only 2 hours away from the airport. Jeonghan barely slept all throughout the ride because he kept Wonwoo awake by sharing a conversation with hin. By the end of the ride, he concludes that Wonwoo is the nice cousin; not too nosey, but not too nonchalant either. He's just right and he thinks he could get along with him.

 

Wonwoo just dropped them off at the address Jeonghan gave him and promised to see them in the morning. The house they are going to stay in is owned by Joshua's childhood friend—Lee Seokmin—who is also close to their family. Jeonghan has heard a lot of stories regarding Seokmin and how funny he is and fun to be with whenever Joshua visits Korea.

 

They get greeted by Seokmin who is wearing a baggy white shirt and blue velvet pyjamas. Jeonghan could tell that the younger has been sleeping and has only been woken up only to accommodate them.

 

"Sorry if I can't hold a conversation right now." Seokmin says with a huge grin but sleepy eyes.

 

"It's okay. We'll see you in the morning! Shua needs to sleep anyway." Says Jeonghan. He then enters his shared room with Joshua whom he finds in the middle of the bed already fast asleep. Joshua gives off light snores and Jeonghan wants to shove him onto his side but something inside him tells him that he shouldn't.

 

_He's_ _too_.. _Soft_. So he opts to just crashing on the carpeted floor.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

 

 

 

Jeonghan wakes up to Joshua's perpetually soft voice. Prior to opening his eyes, he could already hear that wake up but his subconsciousness just told him that it's just a dream; but that soft, heavenly voice is literally in reality.

 

He sits up and is almost too surprised that he can't feel any pain in his back although he slept on the floor 4 hours ago.

 

"Why are you sleeping on the floor?" Joshua asks him and honestly, Jeonghan could not fathom the words to say without snapping. _You_ _slept_ _in_ _the_ _middle_ _of_ _the_ _bed_ _like_ _a_ _baby_ _and_ _I'm_ _way_ _too_ _considerate_ _to_ _shove_ _you_ _off_.

 

"I fell, I guess." He only says.

 

Joshua—who's now only wearing pyjamas and a shirt, and is crouching before him—smirks and nods. Standing up, he tells Jeonghan "There's toiletries in the bathroom. And come down right away. Seokmin made lunch for us."

 

"What time is it?" Jeonghan rubs his eyes, hoping that it could rub the sleep away.

 

"Seven in the evening."

 

"7 PM?! With that sun?! What the f—"

 

"—in LA, you dumb fuck." Joshua laughs, opening the bedroom door. "It's 12 noon here." He steps out the door but before he leaves, he says, "Come down quick, dear."

 

And Jeonghan smiles at that endearment.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

Jeonghan goes down the stairs after he's taken a shower and put on some decent clothes (and a jacket because the cold in korea is very different from the cold in la). He finds Joshua in the dining area along with Seokmin and two more guys he's not familiar with.

 

"Hey, dear, you can sit here." Joshua says, tapping the chair next to him.

 

Jeonghan obliges and sits right away. The moment he sits there, he feels Joshua's hand snake through his hand to intertwine it. He looks at him with a tensed look, but Joshua only smiles at him.

 

It takes him a while to take it in, but he relaxes anyway.

 

"You already know Seokmin." Joshua tells Jeonghan who nods. "That's Jihoon, and that's Chan."

 

Jihoon looks like an Axolotl—that cute fish that smiles—according to Jeonghan. It's not that Jihoon looks like a fish, but he's just cute when he smiles. Jihoon's quite reserved, but he is full if intellect.

 

Chan may or may not be as tall as Jihoon, and he is the youngest among them. He likes to talk about random stuff, but mostly about himself.

 

Seokmin, last but not the least, has the most energy amongst the three. You know those kids who are the life of the party, the ones who will never ever tun out of things to say? That's Seokmin. Another trait, is that he always makes sure to listen and share his insight about stuff. Jeonghan likes him for that.

 

Jeonghan learns that the three of them are cousins and they live together. In just a span of thirty minutes, he's already learned that much; and he has learned that Joshua likes to hold hands whenever they're both free because he's hold hands with him for more than ten times (and yes he's counting).

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

At last, Jeonghan and Joshua were finally alone (the lees went outside to grab groceries for the whole week) in the living room. The two are having a talk—or maybe it's just Jeonghan receiving an orientation from Joshua about family.

 

"We're going to meet my family tomorrow; that includes my mom and step dad, my uncle, and I don't know who else." Joshua says, who is, by the way, lying on the couch with his head on Jeonghan's lap who is playing with his hair (for a more coupley feel according to jeonghan). "Are you sure about this?"

 

And Jeonghan could only try his best to stop himself from rolling his eyes but he fails. He rolls his eyes so hard he thought he'd see his brain.

 

"You're asking me that now that I've met Wonwoo and the three?" Jeonghan coldly says. "And you even asked me to pipe it down at the plane because I've asked you that at least sixty times."

 

"I'm just clarifying." Joshua purses his lips. "A-Also, we haven't talked about.. _Handsy_ stuff."

 

" _Handsy_. What does that mean?"

 

"Just—Do you think we're _that_ convincing?"

 

By the way Joshua's forehead creases, Jeonghan could instantly tell that the man's worried. He's anxious deep inside, that's for sure.

 

"Maybe." Jeonghan shrugs. "You have anything in mind, don't you?"

 

"Kisses."

 

_Kisses_. _Holy_ _fuck_ —but he doesn't say that. He just shuts his lips tight to try and not to laugh; or gasp; or whatever it us that's trying to come out of his mouth. Truthfully, he's surprised. Joshua never said anything about kissing while they're on the plane because he looked like he was _avoiding_ it. So to put it short, Jeonghan's caught off guard with the _handy_ _kissing_ stuff.

 

" _Appropriate_ kissing." Joshua adds.

 

Jeonghan chuckles a little loudly. "What does _that_ mean?"

 

"Like.. We'll kiss when it's the appropriate time. When do you think it's the appropriate time to kiss?"

 

There's still a weary look on Joshua's face so Jeonghan smiles as he answers, "When we see each other in the morning and when we're about to sleep."

 

"Yes." Joshua finally eases up. "And when they ask us to kiss."

 

And now, it's Jeonghan's turn to tense up. He's pretty sure Joshua could feel it from underneath his head by the way the muscles on his leg tense up.

 

"Thanks for the disclaimer that your family randomly asks people to kiss each other."

 

Joshua laughs.

 

"Why aren't we staying at your parents' house again?" Jeonghan knows that he's been told this but he's just forgotten. _Sorry_.

 

"Because I don't like my step dad." Joshua says flatly and Jeonghan just continues to run his hands through Joshua's hair, allowing Joshua to dismiss the subject. "Anyway," Joshua sits up. "back to appropriate kissing."

 

Jeonghan smirks like he knows what Joshua did last summer. "You want to try?" He could see how taken aback  Joshua is and he manages to pat himself on the back mentally. He laughs lightly, hitting Joshua's arm. "I was kidding."

 

"I do."

 

And holy shit now he's the one taken aback.

 

"I mean—I want to know how you kiss so you know.. We'll know how our lips work."

 

_How_ _our_ _lips_ _work_. Jeonghan couldn't be more amused at Joshua who continues to surprise him in the best way possible. It's only been a couple of days that they've talked about this whole act and he just gets surprised.

 

It's not that he sees Joshua as a saint who's never dated, it's just that he's always been so professional whenever they're together which is always inside the four corners of Joshua's office. Sure, they've went out several times to grab drinks but it never went to a point like this.

 

Very amusing.

 

No one agreed, though, but the long pause between them just made them do it.

 

Jeonghan finds himself leaning into Joshua and the other is doing the same, too. Not a moment too long, their lips finally crash into each other.

 

There's no spark between them; it only feels like two lips collided with each other literally. But there's an odd feeling deep within Jeonghan as he feels the other's lips start to move. His skin begins to tingle and his adrenaline starts rushing so he moves with Joshua with synchronisation. His hand slides at the back of Joshua's neck so he could pull him closer to deepen the kiss.

 

_I'm_ _kissing_ _my_ _boss_. He thinks as they continue to kiss, completely unaware that they were just testing the waters. It feels so right for Jeonghan. It feels nice to have Joshua's lips against his; but yet it feels so wrong.

 

He's been hoarding a crush on his boss for over a year now (so yes krystal is right about jeonghan having the hots for his boss), and this moment—this moment right now is exactly what he wanted but not enough to be what he needed. It's all pretend; an act. It's not real but he guesses that it's better than nothing. At least he got a taste of what he could never ever have.

 

" _Holy_ _fuck_ , _hyung!"_

 

Their kiss is interrupted by none other than Chan's voice.

 

Embarrassed, Jeonghan turns red as a kimchi. Joshua, on the other hand, just laughs and stands up to help Chan who is carrying all the grocery bags on his arms. The poor child is mortified and it's all their fault.

 

At the back of Jeonghan's mind, though, he realizes that there's an unexpected pleasure in having control over Joshua. It's like something is giving his ego a boost—or maybe it's just because he's not used to being in control when it comes to Joshua.

 

Jeonghan smirks.


	3. wherein their story was told

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my favorite chapter so far although it took me a while to write it !!

The next day arrives so fast that Jeonghan even has to cram about what he's going to wear. It's not the lady problem type but the Jeonghan problem type—should he wear something loose so that his tummy won't stick out when he eats too much or should he wear something formal? Shit, is it the time to wear my white button down?

 

Joshua is sitting on the bed wearing jeans and a white shirt with a black jacket, already set to leave and is really just waiting for Jeonghan to get dressed. "Are you seriously not going to wear anything yet?"

 

Jeonghan is only wearing his denim jeans and sneakers, no shirt or button down (joshua couldn't stop looking at him hah). He's really problematic when it comes to this.

 

"Just toss in that sweater." Jeonghan follows the direction Joshua's finger is pointing at and it lands to a yellow sweater that would make him look like a little chick when he wears it.

 

Jeonghan whines like a brat but obliges anyway since Jihoon has already complained three times about _the_ _inconvenience_ _this_ _couple_ _is_ _making_ _him_ _experience_.

 

"Looks great." Joshua remarks before grabbing his body bag that he slings on himself. "You ready?"

 

"Yeah." Jeonghan nods after fixing his hair a little (more like ruffling until it satisfies him). He reaches out his hand for Joshua to hold. He could see how Joshua frowns in confusion for a while, but then he must have remembered that they are  _boyfriends_ so he intertwines hands anyway.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

His parents' house isn't exactly far from where the Lees live but it's enough for Jeonghan and Joshua to fall asleep on the car ride (jetlag is still kicking them in the balls). Jeonghan wakes up at Seokmin turning off the engine. He can feel Joshua's hot breath on his neck as his head is rested there. He wakes him up, patting his leg lightly. When Joshua wakes up, they went out of the car.

 

Before Jeonghan is a house—or a villa. Yeah, it's a villa since it's exceptionally big, beautiful, and exquisite. There's a long strip of driveway in front of the porch that's probably bigger than Jeonghan and Mingyu's shared apartment, and the plants (whatever you call then) in front are trimmed to the nines, a sign that it's really taken care of with ease.

 

"You ready?" Jeonghan sees Joshua come up from behind him to his side, offering arms to link with.

 

"To kiss in front of them? Yeah." Jeonghan smirks. "I prefer holding hands, by the way."

 

Joshua chuckles then complies, holding hands with Jeonghan before entering with the Lees.

 

They get greeted by a tall woman who's probably in her 50s but is looking like in her 40s, and Jeonghan learns that _that_ woman is Joshua's mon.

 

"Hi! Oh, wow, _hi!_ " Jeonghan gets hugged by her, and he hugs back naturally as if they've known each other for years.

 

"Hi, Mrs. Hong!" Jeonghan greets politely yet enthusiastically.

 

"Please. Call me Hyujin." The woman—now called Hyujin—smiles fondly at Jeonghan. "Wonwoo has told me that Jisoo brought home  a special person. I wonder why he didn't tell me." Hyujin scowls as Joshua playfully but kisses her son on the forehead anyway.

 

 _That's_ _because_ _your_ _son_ _just_ _hired_ _me_ _and_ _he_ _never_ _really_ _had_ _the_ _idea_ _of_ _telling_ _you_ _before_ _hand._

 

"Well, Joshua here wants to surprise you first, isn't that right, dear?" Jeonghan coos, holding hands with Joshua because they're boyfriends— _fake_ boyfriends; and it's their job to show it to the whole Hong clan.

 

"Of course." Joshua smiles very brightly at Jeonghan then at his mom.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

Joshua almost breaks down in cold sweat as soon as he sees his mom—his mom whom he loves so much but is very agitated at because she has been meddling with his love life for fucking years. He loves his mom so much that he's willing to hire a fake boyfriend. But then, isn't that lying to his mom?

 

He shrugs off the thought and just continues to watch Jeonghan exchange conversations with his mom. To him, they look like they've known each other for years, kind of like they met the same time he and Jeonghan met in LA. Joshua watches how Jeonghan swoons his mom's heart; and he observes that he does it fast and smooth—like he's made to do it; like he's prepared for this; like he was born to capture his mom's heart.

 

Joshua restrains a smile because he shouldn't be smiling alone in the corner of the room (that's awkward). Instead, he just purses his lips and continues to admire his fake boyfriend.

 

Then, not a moment later, Wonwoo appears by his side. He flinches a little at the sudden contact but smiles at the younger anyway.

 

"You're aware that you look constipated, right?" Wonwoo nudges Joshua's waist.

 

Joshua just side-eyes him and drinks his whiskey from a red cup.

 

"I assume you're ready to settle, yeah?"

 

And he chokes. The kind of choke that the liquor gets stuck on his throat but he breathed so it goes up his nose. Yes, it almost came out of his nose and it stings.

 

"S-Sorry?" He looks at Wonwoo who is now looking at him like Joshua is a flat-earther.

 

"You good?" Wonwoo asks, lightly patting Joshua's back.

 

Joshua nods. Not good.

 

"You both seem to have it bad." Wonwoo shrugs. "The way he looks at you and the way you hold him. You really love to hold his hand." Wonwoo smirks and Joshua turns red. "There's only like, fifteen people in here, but you look at him like he's the only person in the room."

 

He wants the ground to eat him up and he doesn't know why. This should be great, right? This should be great because that means they're convincing enough, so why is he flustered?

 

"Fuck's sake you didn't even look at Junhui." Wonwoo chuckles. "Oh, by the way, Seokmin's planning to gather us later. Kind of like a send off party for Hansol and Kwan."

 

Joshua only sighs. No matter how excuted he is for his youngest cousin, Hansol, to get married, he still can't help but feel worn out. Another gathering means another set of people who will want to know how he and Jeonghan met and fell in love. But he supposes he couldn't do anything about it because this is the content he signed up for; the content he dragged Jeonghan along for. Anything to get them off my back.

 

"What time is later, by the way?" Joshua asks, snapping back to reality when he sees Jeonghan walking towards him and Wonwoo.

 

"7 in the evening. That's okay for you, right, Jeonghan?" Wonwoo smiles when Jeonghan comes.

 

Joshua holds Jeonghan's hand as if it's his instinct (or as if it's the only thing he wants to do—which is true, don't tell him i told you this early).

 

"What's okay with me?" Jeonghan asks, a little lost.

 

"Hansol and Seungkwan's party before the wedding." Joshua answers for Wonwoo. "If you're tired we could always cance—"

 

"Yeah!" Excitement fills Jeonghan, and he nods enthusiastically with a grin forming on his face.

 

Joshua wants to let out a strangled whine.

 

Wonwoo smirks at Joshua. He knows that his cousin has been defeated and he observes and concludes that Jeonghan has the upper hand between them."We'll see you, then!" He trails off.

 

"Yeah, go over to Junhui." Joshua shoos him away, watching him walk away until he disappears, and then he turns to Jeonghan with a blank face.

 

Jeonghan knows what's up. He knows that face. It's that face he makes when a faculty members give a shitty excuse for encoding the grades late. But despite that, he grins at Joshua while cupping his cheeks.

 

"What's with the look, dear?" He coos teasingly.

 

"We're not going." Joshua detaches Jeonghan's hand from him (but holds it anyway).

 

Jeonghan pouts. "Why not? It should be fun!"

 

"It's not fun if we're pretending." Joshua mutters.

 

"Let's make it real, then." Jeonghan deadpans and Joshua—oh god—Joshua wants the ground to eat him and take him six feet below because he's caught off guard and doesn't know what to say.

 

". . ."

 

"Relax, Joshua." Jeonghan says softly. "Your mom thinks we're real, and so does your sixteen other aunts."

 

Joshua chuckles softly. He's amazed at the power this man holds over him; how he manages to smile right because of Jeonghan is oddly giving him pleasure.

 

"Wonwoo thinks we're getting married." He says under his breath. Without him noticing, he's already playing with Jeonghan's fingers.

 

"Aren't we?" Jeonghan says.

 

Once again, the flustered Joshua shots up a look at Jeonghan. It's a look of a mixture of surprise, shock, gladness, and worry.

 

Jeonghan starts to lean in at Joshua, and for a couple of seconds, Joshua thought he's going to get kissed again, but Jeonghan just whispers against his ear, "For the green card."

 

Jeonghan's hot breath trailed through his neck so he has to withdraw his hands from Jeonghan's hand so he could adjust his jacket a little bit lower. God dammit.

 

(ﾉ･_-)☆

 

Seokmin literally didn't allow the two to step out of the villa. The only time they stepped out was when they drove back to their house to pick up some clothes and when they were about to drive their way towards where the little gathering was going to be held which is at Joshua and Wonwoo's little house in the middle of the forest by the lake. 

 

The windows of Seokmin's car are rolled down and Jeonghan, being seated by the window, takes in the fresh air and the view of the perfect autumn sunset. He breathes in the crips air of the season and he doesn't notice but Joshua is already looking at him, admiring him, and not the scenery itself. 

 

Joshua breathes deep as he thinks of the many ways he could escape this situation—not the fake boyfriend situation, but the attachment situation. Before, Joshua has conditioned himself to not get attached to Jeonghan and he's been doing a pretty good job since day 1. Truthfully, ever since Jeonghan came into the picture, he has been comfortable with his work environment. His past co-workers and faculty have been such a pain in the ass but then came along Jeonghan who has brought nothing but ease and light to him. And now.. Now that they're kissing and holding hands and are pretending to be in love, he's realizing that he's slowly breaking his rules. 

 

And has he mentioned that he couldn't stop thinking about what Jeonghan did earlier when Jeonghan said that he'll marry him even though it's just for the green card, and by the way he leaned in and whispered to his ear? God, he felt restrain in his pants then. 

 

Alas, his thoughts stop when the cars stops, and he finds that they're already there. The house is still the same as he remembers it: enough for a couple of people, cozy, and nostalgic. He reckons this was where he last saw his dad before passing away, and he could vividly remember everything. Joshua smiles and breathes deep. He looks at Jeonghan who is beside him, looking around. 

 

"Do you like it?" Joshua asks. 

 

Jeonghan looks around a couple more before looking back at Joshua with a grin. "Yeah." He nods and they start to trail towards the little house. "So, you grew up here?" 

 

"No. I only came here to visit whenever dad was still around." Joshua answers, looking down at the ground that's filled with fallen leaves. He's told Jeonghan to be careful a couple of times now, saying that holding hands won't keep them safe (to which jeonghan laughs). 

 

"Right." Jeonghan says under his breath, remembering everything Joshua has told him when he was just being oriented. 

 

They step inside the little house, and it's much bigger than what Jeonghan anticipated. The living room is wide and spacious (he assumes you could do acrobatics there). Joshua tours him around and he learns that the house has couches and little chairs, and television that are perfect for guests; a tiny but reliable kitchen; and there are a couple of rooms here for sleeping. 

 

There is also a backdoor that will lead him to a pathway towards the lake, and by the shore is a little set up of tables and chairs, lights, and a little sound system to lighten up the mood. There are already people there and from what Jeonghan remembers (joshua has showed him pictures. smart), the one with the rounder face if Seungkwan and the one with the most unique features is Hansol, Joshua cousin. 

 

"Hyung!" Hansol chirps the moment he sees Joshua walking along with Jeonghan. 

 

Jeonghan lets go of Joshua's hand just so he could go to his cousin and the groom to be. Alone, he just wanders off to the dock to breathe in the fresh air some more. 

 

Fancy. He thinks to himself as he scans the area. Fancy yet simple; just like how he would describe Joshua. He finds it extremely how a person would resemble a place—how Joshua resembles Gyeonggi more than he resembles LA. Gyeonggi is a very calm and relaxing place unlike LA where it's always buses and cars, people chattering loud here and there; they're very much contrast to each other. And, yes, if Joshua was a place, he would be Gyeonggi according to Jeonghan. 

 

He smiles at the thought but takes it back because he thought about LA. And LA has Mingyu. Shit, he's forgotten about the man. Is he still alive? Has he been eaten by Hachi due to intense frustration at him because of the constant potty training pep talk? 

 

He shivers at the thought. 

 

He takes out his phone and opens iMessage. 

 

 

> **Jeonghan** :   
>  Hey, loser. 
> 
> **Mingyu** :   
>  ???????   
>  ur not dead lol 
> 
> **Jeonghan** :   
>  Tf does that mean? 
> 
> **Mingyu** :   
>  :)) how's gyeonggi   
>  have u done any action lololol 
> 
> **Jeonghan** :   
>  We kissed 
> 
> **Mingyu** :   
>  o wow   
>  that was v straightforward   
>  when will u give ur jeongschlong 
> 
> **Jeonghan** :   
>  My WHAT 

 

Jeonghan  _chokes_  at that. He caughs and caughs, covering his mouth with his hand to minimize the noise. 

 

 

> **Mingyu** :   
>  won't u two have sexy time 
> 
> **Jeonghan** :   
>  Why would we do that 
> 
> **Mingyu** :   
>  they'll hear ur noises and you both will be more convincing!!!!!   
>  guk and i did that for immigration 
> 
>  

Jeonghan would be lying if he says he didn't start thinking about that now that Mingyu has mentioned it. He starts to think about how Joshua would look like underneath him, or what it would feel like inside him, and—He stops. He stops thinking about it because that's now what he came here for and it will never happen because he wouldn't stand a chance at Joshua. 

> **Jeonghan** :   
>  Need to go.   
>  We're at a party 
> 
>  
> 
> **Mingyu** :   
>  ok hav fuuuuuuun   
>  tell me if smth is wrong    
>  will fly to sk right away 

 

Jeonghan keeps his phone in his pocket the moment Joshua appears beside him. 

 

"Who are you texting?" Joshua asks with a voice so flat. 

 

"Mingyu." Jeonghan answers right away. 

 

Joshua stiffens and tells himself that it's nothing and he shouldn't have to react this way. "Is something wrong?" 

 

Jeonghan shakes his head and smiles. "Just checked if our apartment is still in tact." 

 

Joshua sighs. "Let's get to them. They're dying to meet you." He smiles at Jeonghan—you know that smile he makes that makes his eyes smile, too? That one—and Jeonghan's heart skips a little. 

 

Jeonghan smiles back, and without the two knowing, they intertwine their hands as they walk towards to where the others are. 

 

Jeonghan finds himself gathered with the others in front of a round table, and he's sitting beside Joshua. Everyone has glasses with their own drink and there's variety of food on the table. He watches as everyone exchange stories, jokes, and laughs. Surprisingly, he doesn't feel out of place at all. The others are excellent at including him in the conversation, most especially Junhui and Seokmin. 

 

"So, will you ever tell us in detail the story of how you guys met?" Hansol asks in the middle of laughing. "Sorry, it just really crossed my mind." 

 

But of course, yes, of course, some way and somehow, they'll eventually go back to square one which is the subject of how he and Joshua met and fell in love. Well, to be fair, they haven't really told anyone the full story of how they met, not even Joshua's mom. They only told people that they met at work and started going out after a couple of months. 

 

Jeonghan and Joshua look at each other. Joshua gulps while Jeonghan puts his hand on Joshua's knee and rubs it lightly, somehow trying to relax him. He, then, turns to everyone. 

 

"We met at work. My first boss was Professor Jung, the academic head, and he didn’t really give me a teaching load. He just made me his secretary. But then, Mr. Hong here, the program chair of the department, became my boss when Jung retired. We got even closer because I'm the one responsible for sticking with him with whatever happens." 

 

Jeonghan smiles at Joshua who is just staring at him with wonder in his eyes. 

 

"I have to be honest," Jeonghan continues. "when he came into my life, I got to experience what I love. I really didn't want to just be a secretary, but my, oh my. He let me teach, too!" Jeonghan says excitedly, remembering every single detail. "He fought the HR because of that. I've told him before that I love teaching, so.." 

 

"You're smart." Joshua comments. 

 

Jeonghan mutters a 'thank you' before moving on. "I fell in love with him at that moment because I thought _wow, he always listens to me_ , being secretary aside. He makes me feel valued and worth listening to. He's not as stubborn as the other employees think he is. He's really soft inside and I really admire it when he gets flustered—I don't know. I guess love really just works that way, you know? You fall in love with the most unexpected people." 

 

Everyone agrees, most especially the couples. Wonwoo and Junhui share a loving look while Hansol listens attentively with huge grins on his face. Seungkwan looks the most interested in the story. He is smiling fondly at them with elbows resting on the table and hands cupping his cheeks like a little kid listening to his favorite fairytale. 

 

"That's true." Seungkwan nods fervently then turns to Joshua. "Hyung, what about you? How did you feal in love with him?" 

 

Now Joshua gulps _hard_. His mind tries to think as fast as he can but he couldn’t. They never really came in details with _how_ they fell in love. He looks at Jeonghan with pleading eyes, but Jeonghan could only stare blankly at Joshua. _I’m in trouble._

“Hyung?” Seungkwan calls out, snapping Joshua back to reality.

 

“Uh.. I just..” He almost chokes on his own breath. “I just kind of asked him out, nothing interesting.”

 

Jeonghan sighs inwardly, trying too hard not to show dismay. He purses his lips, smiling at minimum.

 

“Party pooper.” Jihoon remarks, sipping on his wine.

 

“Just.. The school doesn’t tolerate intimate relationships within its employees so it took me a while to just get on it.” Joshua continues. “But I’ve felt something special for Jeonghan the first time I met him because he was just this outgoing yet careful person. I thought it was just something I would feel because he’s new but,”

 

Joshua takes a pause because how could these words come out of his mouth? Just a minute ago he was holding on for dear life but now he’s talking as if everything is real—as if everything is natural.

 

“He became my secretary and I got to know him more, and I found out that he’s more than just outgoing and careful. He’s very reliable, and his passion for teaching amazes me, and how he cares for me is just—it makes me want to be with him even if it means leaving the state college.”

 

That’s all he says, and he never realizes that he was just staring at a distance until he stops talking. His throat feels dry and he could feel his heart beating so fast that he’s catching his breath a little.

 

Seungkwan breaks the silence by clapping and squealing; he even holds Hansol for dear life. Everyone just starts to laugh at him, except for the two fake boyfriends who are just stuck at looking at each other in the eyes.

 

None of the two can even tell if it’s shock or scare or worry in their eyes, but they both know they’ve been wanting to get out of there as soon as possible—well, it’s half and half for them as they both are actually having a good time aside from the hot seat they were put in. Joshua’s having fun catching up with Wonwoo and Junhui while Jeonghan’s having a fun time as he warms up to the Lee cousins and Hansol and Seungkwan.

 

“Do you mind excusing us?” Jeonghan says to the crowd, standing up when they say ‘ _not at all_ ’. “Come with me.” He says, taking Joshua by the hand then leading him inside the house and into the kitchen. He stands in front of Joshua who is sitting on the kitchen counter.

 

Joshua’s a little puzzled; his mind is clouded. He could only focus on his fast heartbeat and their position—Jeonghan’s standing between his legs and he could just kiss the man right now that his adrenaline’s kicking in.

 

“You did great, boss!” Jeonghan says quietly, clapping his hands. “Although you look constipated while you were telling your story, I could tell they bought it!”

 

Joshua looks at how the way Jeonghan’s lips move. _Oh, god_ he just wants those against his right now, and he doesn’t know but Jeonghan wants it, too.

 

“Do you mind if I kiss you?” Jeonghan says, only concentrating on Joshua’s pouty lips and how plump they look like. There’s still traces of wine on his lips that Jeonghan wants to wipe away with his own lips.

 

Joshua doesn’t ask why. Instead he just nods and leans into Jeonghan, attaching their lips together. He wraps his arms around Jeonghan’s neck the moment he feels Jeonghan’s arms wrap around his waist. He whimpers when Jeonghan suddenly pulls him closer to him, and Jeonghan takes that chance to snake his tongue inside his mouth.

 

 _Holy shit, we’re doing tongues now_. Joshua thinks but doesn’t hesitate to do so although for a moment, his body stiffens. He learns to relax along the way and he comes off naturally moving his tongue and so in sync to Jeonghan’s.

 

Jeonghan tastes like the Chardonnay he drank lately: cool, buttery with a little hint of citrus. Perfect. He just can’t help but want more of Jeonghan that’s why he could feel the strain in his pants once again because Jeonghan is _just so fucking good_ at taking control over him. He’s the best at this, Joshua concludes. He melts into the kiss and couldn’t help but let out little moans of pleasure that sound like music to Jeonghan’s ears.

 

Unfortunately and to both of their dismay, they need to stop because the door just swings open. Suddenly, Junhui’s in the same room as them, holding a tray filled with glasses that he almost dropped.

 

“Sorry if I did that. Someone was entering.” Jeonghan whispers before completely pulling away from Joshua.

 

“Whoops.” Jun smirks, walking past them and into the sink. Joshua goes down, hiding behind Jeonghan because his boner is really out there screaming.

 

“The last room on the left’s all yours.” Junhui says, still wearing that smirk even if he’s starting to wash the glasses. “Pretty sure Hansol put condoms and lube there.”

 

Joshua coughs and _wheezes_ while Jeonghan can’t find the right words to say.

 

Jun fills the room with laughter. “I think you two love birds should hit it and get rid of that.” Jun finally turns to the then points towards their crotches (turns out, jeonghan has also something going on down there).

 

“Shut up.” Joshua scowls at his cousin in law who just laughs again then goes back to washing the glasses.

 

The two dismiss themselves from their misery that’s brought by Junhui. They wonder how they’re going to sleep tonight in the same bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> go say hi to my twitter aaaa !!!!


	4. wherein wonwoo doesn't feel right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> but junhui says otherwise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> filler chapter. be back by sunday !!

 

 

 

Laughter fills the air the second Seokmin does a weird impersonation of a shrieking cat. Their stomachs are getting cramped and their jaws are all getting tired because of nonstop laughter. It's not everyday they get to be like this. Most of them are working and they barely see each other. Sure, the Lees see each other everyday because they live in one house but it's different than before.

 

When Joshua's dad was still around, he would go home almost every quarter of the year just to hang out with his friends. Now, he stays in the US for good; Wonwoo resides in Busan with Junhui;  Hansol is the only cousin who is staying in Gyeonggi.

 

Wonwoo sits back as he watches Jeonghan and Joshua go inside the little bungalow.

 

"10,000₩ says they'll do it!" Chan enthusiastically says and everyone laughs.

 

Wonwoo shakes his head. "How long did they say since they started dating?" He thinks of all the conversations he has had with the two ever since they landed here.

 

Seungkwan tries to recall, too; even Vernon.

 

"I don't think they said anything." Jihoon says.

 

"Because you weren't listening _at_ _all_." Seokmin snaps and Jihoon gives him a side eye. Jihoon retaliates back by saying if he's not listening then his jaw wouldn't hurt, and from that, Seokmin and Jihoon share a small banter.

 

"It just feels weird." Wonwoo breaks the stupid banter of the two.

 

"What does?" Junhui asks, looking at Wonwoo with a creased forehead.

 

Wonwoo shrugs, looking around. "Jisoo hyung never told us anything about having a boyfriend. The last time we asked he just kept on dismissing the issue. He does it with Aunt Hyujin, too."

 

The stiffness on Wonwoo's face starts to worry Junhui. Sure, Wonwoo always has a serious face, but the way he tenses up is different. Even the others are starting to worry.

 

"You know Jisoo hyung. He likes to keep things to himself then he just suddenly comes out and surprises us." Hansol speaks up and everyone but Wonwoo seems to agree.

 

"What, you think someone's cheating with anyone?" Chan raises his brows.

 

Wonwoo shakes his head. "No, it's not that. Just—I don't know. I'm sorry."

 

Junhui sighs. "You just feel different because Shua hasn't brought anyone home in six years." Everyone nods. "And the last time you saw him, he was a wreck because of that girl. Besides, you were the one who said they look madly in love."

 

There's something comforting in Junhui's words that makes the heavy feeling in Wonwoo's chest disappear. He looks at his husband then smiles.

 

"They're touchy. Sweet. Perfect." Seokmin comments. His eyes are filled with somewhere along the lines of hopeless romantic.

 

Jihoon makes a gagging noise.

 

Seungkwan laughs. "I think Hansol put some condoms in their room.."

 

Again, Jihoon makes a gagging noise. This time, he's accompanied by Chan.

 

"Kids." Seungkwan playfully rolls his eyes.

 

Junhui stands up. He's already felt the needs to dismiss this night as everybody looks tired despite the playful remarks and laughs. He puts the glasses on the tray, saying that everyone should get ready for bed and he'll just take care of the mess.

 

No one agrees, though, as they still want to chat. Junhui does nothing but nod and take away the glasses to wash them. When he enters the premises, he could already hear voices and he assumes that it's from the two, Joshua and Jeonghan. He tries to figure out where the noises are coming from so he pauses from where he's standing. _Is_ _it_ _from_ _my_ _left_ , _or_ _is_ _it_ _from_ _my_ _right?_

 

He can't figure it out so he dismisses it and walks towards the kitchen where he finds the two almost close to ripping each other's clothes as they make out on the kitchen counter. The couple abruptly stops (junhui sees a saliva trail hanging from their lips when they parted), and looks at him.

 

"Whoops." Junhui smirks, holding back a laugh as he walks past them. He thinks that Wonwoo and him have been there before. They used to sneak out, too, just to do that. Considering Jeonghan and Joshua are older than them, he feels like it's young love that the two are experiencing. It's not the puppy love kind of young love, not the kind of love that's just bliss and foolishness; but it's the young love that's new and innocent. It's that one where they're happy with whatever they are and whatever they have. Pretty sure it makes no sense but, hey.

 

You can call Junhui whatever you want but he sees that the two are madly in love. He sees that the two only want to hold each other for the rest of their lives. He knows because that's how he sees Wonwoo; and you know what they say: it takes one to know one.


End file.
